![]() | Current Issues | No.51 September 2007 |
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For decades, the nature of sports and intrinsic values have been questioned.
In 1970’s George Orwell stated that "Serious sport has nothing
to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness,
disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence.
In other words: it is war minus the shooting." At the same time
sport evangelists started preaching that sport offered more than a temporary
haven for the suspension of conflict. For this group sport, locally
and globally, can solve those problems that politicians and militaries
palpably cannot. “…if sport was good for them… it
must be good for others...”
With 2005 recognized as the International Year of Sport and Physical
Education, the added value of sport as a peace building factor was given
almost unanimous recognition by the international development community.
The United Nations regards sport as an effective tool and a strong unifying
factor in the process of conflict transformation and peace building.
This has, for instance, led to the use of sport-related activities as
an integral part of nation building and to foster goodwill within local
communities by a number of UN peacekeeping missions worldwide.
Not only has sport been recognized as a powerful apparatus, but the
fundamental values of sport and play have been acknowledged as very
important elements in the building of a strong civil society and states
where tolerance and friendship is being built. More than a conflict
transforming tool, sport has been granted the potential as a conflict-prevention
measure, helping forestall processes that generate aggression, hatred
and fear.
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of sport as a
tool in peace building. As one of the sport evangelists and firm believers
of sports potential, I will try to illustrate some of sports’
facilitating powers, moving beyond just bringing people together, mixing
teams and interacting in a friendly environment.
To better understand sports’ potential, I aim to scrutinize some
of the different aspects in conflict generation and peace building,
and try to identify areas where sport can influence the process.
With sport being recognized as such a powerful tool, this paper also
aim to create awareness of the responsibility we as stakeholders in
sport and development have while implementing sport and peace programs.
We are obliged to not only understand the potential and the risks of
using sport in peace-building processes, but also to see the limitations
and to critically reflect on the impact sport might or might-not have
in each individual case. The negative impacts which a sport program
can have on Peace Building must be taken into account in order to integrate
conflict preventive measures in an effective and honest manner.
Sport does not primarily aim to prevent conflict. On the contrary,
it initiates conflict. All sport is based on healthy competition against
opponents trying to reach a similar goal. Sport is on the other hand
trying to facilitate constructive conflict in a peaceful form, accepting
the fact that there have to winners and losers. 1. Understanding Conflict
In order for us to better assess the use of sport as a peace building
tool, we have to gain understanding into the nature of the antagonism
and conflict in the various cultural and geographical areas we choose
to work. It is also advantageous for us to reflect upon some common
values and principles that seem to guide most sport and development
projects working to address conflict prior to program implementation.
Defining conflict:
“War and conflict can be defined as contest between groups of people based on perceived opponent needs, ideas, beliefs, values or goals”.
A balanced level of conflict is not only healthy, but also needed in
order for us to craft change and development. Conflict is always difficult
but often ends with a positive solution.
The negative sense of conflict is violence. This has many forms and
shapes from personal disagreements, inner-city gang crime and ethnical
conflicts to fully fledged clashes and war between countries. These
conflicts have a broad impact on society and a number of innocent bystanders
usually become targets and victims.
War and violently performed conflict breaks down communication and erects
barriers for interaction between people. The social unity between people
is often disturbed and neighbors and friends become rivals and enemies
based on identities like for example, ethnicity and religion. Propaganda
is often used to maintain the image of an enemy and prolong and increase
the division between the people involved.
There are numerous examples of sport (and football in particular) actively
been used as a tool to create and to add fuel to conflicts, e.g. Balkans,
South America, England.
Conflicts are never one-sided and one can never point at a single reason
why conflict escalates to clashes or acts of hostilities. There is therefore
no one response or method for conflict transformation, peace building
or reconciliation. The more we understand about the complexity of a
conflict’s nature, its parties, history and cultural settings,
the better we can craft activities adapted for and suitable to the various
situations.
Even though no conflicts are identical, factors like reduced communication
and movement, increased perception differences as well as increased
stress and uncertainty, limited resources and services, and reduced
safety are often common limitations and outcomes.
Table 1 - Some aspects influencing decisions to act and partake in
a violently performed conflict
Two common values that seem to guide sport program implementation
are particularly interesting to dwell upon, Human Rights and Democracy.
The 1993 world conference of human rights concluded that democracy,
development and respect of human rights are interdependent, and might
mutually reinforce and strengthen peace building processes.
Defining democracy:
“..Government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections..”
(Webster Dictionary)
Priorities should therefore be given to work in these areas.
Building of democratic principles is lengthy, multifaceted and complex.
It includes processes that build civil society and put in place self-governing
mechanisms based on agreed upon and culturally accepted regulations.
Democracy is also hard to measure as it might incite dissimilar understandings
in different cultures.
Sport can, by establishing self governing clubs, leagues and structures
based on the above criteria, actively participate in the democratization
process by strengthening civil society and thus become one of the building
blocks for a more stabile and peaceful state.
Some of the challenges aforementioned in regards to democracy also
are true for human rights.
Though the Universal Declaration for Human Rights has been signed by
most of the United Nations’ member states, violations are common,
and the question of the validity of the declaration is sometimes challenged.
Both Democracy and Human Rights are therefore at times viewed as a western
ideal and as a consequence, the imposition of such rights on non-western
nations is seen as a form of cultural imperialism.
This might challenge sport projects that actively promote HR through
its activities in certain parts of the world. As we adapt these values
and principles into our programs or sport activities, it is necessary
for us to reflect on what this means in practical terms. 2. Why sport?
Sport is indisputably the most popular leisure activity in the world,
not only for children and youth, but for men and women as players, coaches,
leaders, administrators and spectators. Even though the intrinsic values
and inherent qualities in sport and play lie entirely in how participation
in the activity is experienced and perceived, play is a natural part
of people’s physical, mental and social development and growth.
The popularity of sport and games among children and youth and the widespread
acceptance of sport and games by parents, make sport a low entry point
for social change. Projects can be labeled as leisure activities and
bring about a change of attitudes and behavior. It depends how you play.
This is the reason why appropriate training of coaches is so crucial.
Sport can be a low entry point for persons who are skeptical about peace
and social cohesion. “Just play for fun!” helps to integrate
persons who would never ever participate in activities labeled “sport
for peace with Tamils/Serbs/Hutus”. Sport and games allow therefore
work with the critical voices or even with persons who are against intercultural
dialogue and nonviolent conflict transformation.
Sport and games integrate important parts of the human being, which
often get forgotten in peace building: the body and its emotions. Sustainable
conflict transformation means that you address also the participant’s
feelings. Sport and games offer the space for joy, fun, creativity and
happiness, but also for rage, sadness and frustration. The latter emotions
can be worked on by the coach (if necessary) and be transformed.
The power comes with its popularity, and the
effect and impact comes with its implementation. By focusing on conflicting parties’ mutual interests rather than
using the problems as starting points for intervention, sport activities
can create safe spaces for interaction where communication can be restored
and understanding and tolerance can be built, provided we have acquired
adequate knowledge of the situation.
Some guiding principles when working with sport and peace building
are:
3. Sport as part of the peace building factors
Peace building covers a range of activities designed to reconstruct
the social, economic and legal fabric of a society following a conflict.
Many NGOs are active in different sectors trying to build a stronger
society on fragile peace accords. These organizations work in all areas
of peace building including enhancing security, trying to address poverty,
building infrastructure and strengthening the political framework.
I will, in this part of the paper, look at the different factors influencing
the peace building process and try to identify and illustrate some of
the potential areas where sport might be of influence, or be a piece
in the puzzle.
Security
Even though peace building efforts should start early (also during conflict),
basic security of people involved in the programs must be provided.
Governments are responsible for demobilizing former combatants, but
it is often the NGOs that are instrumental in re-integrating these former
soldiers into society, clearing mines and establishing programs for
handing over weapons and small arms so that they are not circulated
to criminal elements, fuelling insecurity.
The reintroduction of child soldiers back into the community is a long,
difficult and sometimes unsuccessful process and many ex-combatants
get lost on the way. It requires community-based rehabilitation projects,
which enable former child soldiers to obtain education, to address the
trauma of the conflict years and to create opportunities for an alternative
to military life.
Rebuilding economies
The reconstruction of socio-economic foundations and a functioning political
framework complement security. The physical reconstruction of cities,
development of healthcare, education, water provision, electricity,
roads, livestock and crop production all need to function for a country
to get back on its feet and return to some kind of normality.
Political framework
Democratization, re-installing the rule of law, building institutions
and ensuring that human rights are being safeguarded systemically are
other aspects that the UN and NGOs focus upon to strengthen a society
emerging from upheaval.
Reconciling torn societies
How to bring about some form of reconciliation and healing in a society
which has witnessed genocide, widespread rape, torture or systematic
limb amputation is a problem with no easy answer, not least when the
preconditions to violent conflict may still be present and unchanged.
Practitioners of transitional justice advocate a holistic approach to
the issue, including:
Reconciliation is also about finding a sense of belonging and about
reaching unity and harmony based on commonality greater than the forces
that divide and separate people. Where does sport fit in?
The table below shows the ways in which sport can contribute at specific
stages during the peace-building process.
Table 2 - Peace Building Factors and contribution of Sport
Gender issues:
A UNHCR study found that three factors influence the ability of war-affected
women to return and effectively engage in reconciliation processes:
(a) lack of family or community support; (b) personal security; and
(c) psychological trauma.
For women whose trauma is associated with sexual violence, there is
significant stigma as well as real risks of being re-traumatized and
victimized upon return. Very few of the perpetrators have been arrested
and prosecuted, and still live in their original municipalities (UNHCR,
2000).
Women play a central role in all societies, but have a particularly
important role in the reconciliation and re-establishment process. In
many cultures, women are the family providers and breadwinners. After
a conflict, in a reconstruction phase, where (most often) a large number
of men have been killed and mutilated due to direct involvement, the
women must take a lead in rebuilding entire communities. This includes
support and empowerment for women partaking in sport programs as coaches,
leaders, administrators and participants. Something women often are
deprived of.
It is important to stress that trauma work to a large extent focuses
on women and children. Men are often perceived as the perpetrators or
already dead as result of direct conflict, while much of the funding
goes to trauma healing for the “classical trauma victims”. Powerful tool and responsibility
Sport, being such a “powerful tool”, must leave the implementers
with a huge responsibility.
Sport, in its traditional form, is not a conflict preventative instrument.
On the contrary, the nature of sport is exactly the opposite “a
physical contest between people or teams with different goals”.
For us to be able to effectively use sport as a peace building tool
and to control the results and impact we must know what we are doing.
The implementation and how sport is being preserved is the key, not
sport alone. The balance between developing sport in its traditional
form and using sport to achieve peaceful coexistence can only be managed
by conscious and planned implementation, increased research, concept
development and understanding and increased training of field implementers.
As Dr. Robert Henley, Swiss Academy for Development (SAD, 2005) says,
“there is a compelling need for more research in the area of sport
and development, in order to validate that the psychological sport programs
are truly being helpful for children and how.”
I agree.
References:
S. Hayes & G. Stidder, Equity and inclusion in Physical Education
and Sport, 2003
IRIN - Justice of a Lawless World, (www.irinnews.org),
2006
Richard Giulianotti, Sport: A Critical Sociology (Polity), 2005
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 2006
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2000
IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Dr. Robert Henley, Swiss Academy for Development (SAD), 2005
Wolters, W.H.G., Sport en traumaverwerking, 1998
Contact
Pelle Kvalsund
Sport and Development Consultant Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sport (NIF) Norway Email: pelle@sportsconsult.info Comments provided by John Telford Humanitarian Expert and Crisis Manager Former Senior UN Staff Email: telford@wanadoo.fr Maurizio Maggetti Project Officer Swiss Academy for Development (SAD) Email: maggetti@sad.ch Usha Selvaraju Swiss Academy for Development (SAD) Email: selvaraju@sad.ch ![]() http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 |